Interprating Data

The purpose of qualitative research is to seek the understanding from the respondent’s perspective. An analysis of the data engages with the interpretation of the meanings of people’s behavior, practices and actions. According to the Hammersley and Atkinson
(2007,3) perspective “analysis of data involves interpretation of meanings, functions, and consequences of human actions and institutional practices, and how these are implicated in local, and perhaps also wider, contexts”.
Data analysis and interpretation are required to convey order and understanding. Data analysis therefore requires creativity, discipline, and a systematic approach. Data analysis process can move back and forth between every step at anytime. Some basic fundamental steps that every researcher has to consider during the data analysis are: first the researcher must understand the quality of the data by repeatedly repeating it, and second the researcher has to identify a few key questions that she or he wants her or his analysis to answer. The analysis depends on the purpose of the evaluation and how the researcher uses the results (Taylar-Powell and Renner 2003).
Therefore, it is important to focus on how all individuals or groups responded to each question and how the answers maintained consistencies and differences. Moreover, it is important to explore the connections and relationships between questions. The researcher has to identify themes or patterns, for example ideas, concepts, and behaviors that she or he has to organize the information into coherent categories.